As They Play: Notre Dame vs. Rutgers, Big East Tournament

Here's the latest in what's going on during Tuesday night's first-round game of the Big East Tournament, between Rutgers (11-20, 2-16 in the Big East) and Notre Dame (17-13, 8-10 in the Big East):

8:52 p.m. - FINAL: Notre Dame 61, Rutgers 50.
Rutgers' season is over, finishing with a record of 11-21 and 2-17 in the Big East.

8:51 p.m. - As Farmer's 3-point attempt is off the mark, that will likely spell the end for Rutgers. They're down 61-50 with 16 seconds left.

8:50 p.m. - Rutgers down nine, 59-50 with 30 seconds left.

8:48 p.m. - Rutgers trying desperately to comeback, but on the last possession, Rosario and Zach Hillesland took a nasty tumble into the area underneath the basket. Hillesland is OK, but Rosario is still down and getting a lot of attention.
UPDATE: Rosario is up -- a little gimpy -- but up which is a good sign.

8:44 p.m. - Rosario with a big 3 to cut the deficit to six, but the Irish respond with a jumper by Jackson on the other end. Story of the game right now. With 1:43 left, it's Notre Dame up 55-48.

8:40 p.m. - For his debut on the Big East's big stage, Mike Rosario is having a nightmarish start. He's only got nine points and just has not looked like himself. He's taken some poor shots and committed a few turnovers. 53-44 Irish with 3:16 left.

8:34 p.m. - Rutgers problem right now? Being able to stem the "answer baskets" that Notre Dame is knocking down. McAlarney just hit a 3 to extend the lead back to nine. Notre Dame just got another big one on a Jackson put-back. It's 53-42 Irish with 5:46 left. This is do or die time for the Scarlet Knights. They need a run and a cold streak by ND to make this one turn for them.

8:31 p.m. - TV Timeout. 48-42 Irish, but Rutgers has been able to get to the basket better in the last few possessions. Ndiaye is really having a terrific game tonight, which Rutgers could have used all season long. He's got 14 and has really been able to find the crack in the Irish D in the second half.

8:28 p.m. - Long time coming: Ndiaye just had a nice layup which gave him 12 points so far tonight. It's his first double-digit point game since Nov. 16 against Delaware, when he had 26 in the second game of the year. Rutgers making a run, cutting the deficit to 45-40 with 7:45 left.

8:26 p.m. - Notre Dame is trying to shake free of Rutgers with less than 10 minutes left to go in the game. It's 45-36 Irish with 9:41 left ... however, Rutgers did most of that with McAlarney and Harangody on the bench. They just re-entered.

8:19 p.m. - HUGE basket by Jackson. He made a nice cut towards the hoop and then used his other hand to finish, while drawing the foul from Anthony Farmer. 42-32 Irish with 11:57 left.

8:17 p.m. - Big back-to-back possessions by the Irish. Ryan Ayers drains a 3-pointer and the Notre Dame followed that up with a Tory Jackson layup. Some breathing room for the Irish now, 40-32 with 12:31 left.

8:11 p.m. - Rutgers making a comeback here, as the Scarlet Knights have pulled within one point at 33-32 with 15:09 left in the game.

8:06 p.m. - Even though Rutgers is still down, Echenique and Ndiaye are doing a great job so far in this half of getting Harangody out of his comfort zone. Rutgers on a run, 31-29 Irish with 16:07 left.

8:02 p.m. - Just a couple of notes from the first half: Rosario passed Phil Sellers for most points in a season all-time by a freshman. Sellers held the record with 506 points, Rosario came into the game with 505. ... Rutgers shots 25 percent in the first half on 8-of-32 shooting.

7:44 p.m. - HALFTIME: Notre Dame 28, Rutgers 19.

7:43 p.m. - Helter-skelter last couple of seconds. Lost of missed baskets, broken plays, you get the idea. Notre Dame up 28-19 with 12 seconds left in the half.

7:40 p.m. - Rutgers is down 26-17 with 1:18 left and the Scarlet Knights have made one of their last 11 shots. Ick.

7:35 p.m. - Okay, I know this has nothing to do with the game, but can the Big East/MSG cease this freecreditreport.com sing-a-long promotion? I mean, honestly. It's brutal. Not only is the jingle horribly annoying, but the mic is always about six second behind the tune on the PA system. Let's just end this. Anyway, 25-17 Irish with 3:20 left.

7:32 p.m. - Rutgers in a bad spot right now. They can't get anything going on offense and Luke Harangody is starting to get good touches near the basket -- which he almost always will finish. 22-17 Irish with 4:11 left in the half.

7:27 p.m. - I see someone's already asked about where they can watch this game on TV. Sorry, but you can't. It's not being broadcast anywhere but on the Big East's website: www.bigeast.tv ... It's either that or the radio on 710 AM WOR.

7:26 p.m. - Told you to watch out for Kyle McAlarney and the 3 ball. He just hit another one to put the Irish up 16-13. After getting off on the good foot, Rutgers has shut down offensively. 7:41 left in the first half.

7:21 p.m. - Hamady Ndiaye lives! He's got six points so far, but the Irish have hit back-to-back 3s to tie it up at 13-13 with 8 minutes left.

7:19 p.m. - Notre Dame with a flicker of offense on a McAlarney 3-pointer (watch that develop). 11-9 Rutgers with 9:50 left. Prior to that shot, the Irish's offense was comatose.

7:15 p.m. - TV Timeout. Well, scratch that whole "good offensive rhythm" thing for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are still leading, but they're not doing much. Lots of rushed possessions and bad shots. The last two possessions have been a stuff drive by Farmer and then a too-much-dribbling, pass-it-to Echenique for the 3-pointer as the shot clock expires. Not good. 9-6 Rutgers with 11:12 left.

7:07 p.m. - Mike Rosario getting it done right now for Rutgers. Back-to-back 3-pointers have the Scarlet Knights up 7-6 with 15:30 left in the game. Rutgers also doing a solid job grabbing the loose balls.